I’m so excited to share this tutorial with you! Jo-Ann so generously sent me some fabrics from their new line of HGTV Home Fabrics to try out and review and I used them to make a big yarn storage basket! I really love this Urban Blossom fabric that they sent me because it’s honestly really me! It actually reminds me of the fabric that I have in the header on my blog. The HGTV Home Fabrics line also has some chevron prints that I really like as well as some other floral prints! Jo-Ann also sent me a coupon for you so if you’d like to try these fabrics, scroll down for a coupon! :)

Now, I’m going to show you how I made my yarn basket! It’s a pretty simple project, but definitely requires some sewing experience! This basket is big (12″ high x 17″ wide) so it would be great for so many things, like a laundry basket even!

Supplies:

♥ 1 yard each of two coordinating fabrics – I’m using HGTV Urban Blossom Berry & HGTV Checkered Past Berry
♥ 54 inches of matching trim – I’m using HGTV 1” Pleat Twill Mulberry
♥ 2 yards of extra stiff interfacing
♥ Sewing machine and basic sewing supplies/tools

Step 1: Cutting out all the pieces:

♥ From both fabrics & interfacing – cut 1 circle that is 17 inches in diameter (53 inch circumference) + 1 piece (for the sides) that is 54 inches long x 13 inches tall.

♥ From the outer fabric – cut two pieces that are 12 inches long x 3 inches tall (for the handles)

Step 2: Handle pieces: With right sides together, sew along the long edge (green line) using a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Step 3: Turn the handles right side out and use your iron to press them flat. Top stitch along the green lines.

Step 4: On both of your fabrics & interfacing: With right sides together, sew along the short edge (green line) using 1/2″ seam allowances.

Step 5: On both of your fabrics & interfacing: Pin the bottom circle to the side piece (right sides together) and sew around the circle (green line) using 1/2″ seam allowances.

Step 6: Pin the handles in place on your outer fabric.

Step 7: Putting all the pieces together!

Put the outer fabric inside the interfacing and then with right sides together, put the lining fabric inside the outer fabric. Pin all the way around then sew together using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Be sure to leave about 6 inches unsewn so that you can turn the whole thing right side out.

Step 8: Turn right side out and pin the hole shut that you left for turning.

Step 9: Pin your trim in place all the way around the top edge. Sew around (this will also sew up the hole that you left for turning).

All done! Now stuff it full of yarn and enjoy! :)

I was able to fit about 45 skeins of yarn in there! If you wanted to make a smaller basket, it would be really easy by simply making a smaller diameter circle. Here is a circumference calculator that I always find helpful for this sort of thing!

Here is a 10% off coupon for you to use! From April 14 – May 4, the HGTV HOME line is 50% off at Jo-Ann and the coupon can be used during that time for extra savings!

1. Crochet flowers - pretty, pretty!
2. Cupcake candy jars – Clever use of caulk!

3. Flower photo booth backdrop – This is so pretty, I’d put it on my wall just because!
4. Crochet skull motif - I want to sew one of these onto a hat or bag!

5. Leather tassel keychains – I want to try making these with various (non-fraying) fabrics.
6. Simple crochet bows – Simple but so cute! I need to find a use for these!

7. Striped slouch hat – I love this hat pattern and need to make one so bad!
8. Tiny clay pots – This is so clever! I’m going to try making some larger versions of them!

I’ve had some people tell me that they don’t know how to add their projects on Ravelry, so I’m going to show you how! It’s pretty simple and only takes a few minutes. When you add a project to Ravelry, it will be linked to both the pattern and the yarn you used. Have you ever bought a yarn just because you thought it was pretty but then didn’t know what to do with it? I like to go onto Ravelry, look up the yarn, and see what other people have done with it for inspiration! Plus it’s fun to see what other people have made using the same patterns you have! Not to mention, designers (meeee!) love to see what people have made with their patterns! So if you feel like sharing your projects, here’s how! :)

When you log in to Ravelry, click the “my notebook” tab at the top. This is where all of your projects are stored.

Click on the “add project” button and you’ll be taken to this screen:

You can name your project anything you want (my names are always suuuper creative! :P). “name of pattern” should be the actual name listed on the pattern or in the book, etc. This will help Ravelry link it to the pattern. If you were using a pattern that you bought from someone on Ravlery, one of mine for example, you would choose “website or download” and type “Gleeful Things” as the pattern source. When you click continue, it will take you to this screen:

If the pattern it finds is correct, click “choose this pattern” to go on to the next step.

On this screen, you can fill out as much or as little information as you want. I like to at least add the yarn that I used. I already wrote a blog post about my scarf so I put a link to that post in the notes section. You can also rate the pattern and the yarn by clicking the stars. Click continue when you’re done and the next step will be to add your photos.

Click the “add photos” tab at the top and it will take you to this screen:

Click the “upload from computer” tab and then click “choose files”. Find the pictures on your computer and click “upload”. The photos will appear above and if you have more than one, you can drag them around to rearrange the order they’re in if you want.

And this is what my finished project page looks like! Now it’s linked to the pattern and the yarn. If you were to click where it says “11 projects” under the “about this pattern” section, you’ll be able to see what other people have made using the same pattern! Let me know in the comments, if you have any questions.

Is there anything else you’d like to know how to do on Ravelry? I’d be happy to make more tutorials! :)

If you missed part 1 of the pom pom experiment, it’ll show you how I made the tool I’m using to make these. For part 2, I’m going to show you my experiment with different ways of layering the yarn to get different styles of pom poms.

Half & half: Wrap each half of the circle with a different color.

Tri-color: Wrap each third of the circle with a different color.

Speckled: Cut small pieces of various colors of yarn and wrap them in random spots. Wrap the entire circle with your main color. Do more small pieces then finish wrapping with your main color.

Striped: Wrap the entire circle with a layer of the outer color, then wrap the entire circle with a layer of the center color, then wrap the entire circle with a layer of the outer color.

I wanted to find a quicker and easier way to make pom poms than with the little tool I’ve been using. I had one of these simple round pom pom makers but you have to cut pieces of yarn and use a needle to go through the hole on it. Then I saw these ones that open up and thought that seemed a lot easier, so you can just wrap the yarn around. But I was being cheap and thought I could probably just make my own! So here’s what I did:

Cut two circles out of cardboard (the exact same) and cut through one side up to the center hole.

Hold the two pieces together and wrap your yarn around and around!

I couldn’t go all the way up to the cut because the yarn would slide off but it doesn’t matter.

Insert your scissors between the two pieces of cardboard and cut the yarn all the way around.

Cut a piece of yarn to tie around the center of the pom pom, between the two pieces of cardboard. Tie a really tight knot. Then you can slip the cardboard off and you’re done!

I thought this was definitely quicker than the tool that requires you to use a needle. It’ll be especially useful if you want to make a really large pom pom! If you try it, let me know what you think. :)

Be sure to check back tomorrow for part two of the pom pom experiment! I’m going to show you how to do all of the different style pom poms in the picture above.